SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PH ILIP P IN ES Third Regular Session ) ) ) Clii)f *18 SEP -4 P5 :34 S E N A J fj^ S.B. NO. f f # - Introduced by Senator Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay AN ACT MANDATING THE N ATIO NAL COMMISSION ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLES TO PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION, FOOD AND NON-MONETARY ASSISTANCE TO IN D IG E N T LITIGANTS WHO ARE MEMBERS OF INDIGENOUS CULTURAL COMMUNITIES W HILE IN ATTENDANCE OF HEARINGS OR PROCEEDINGS IN THE NCIP EXPLANATORY NOTE It has corne to our attention that many of our poor countrymen who are members of the Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICC)/Indigenous Peoples (IP) are not able to adequately protect their rights under Republic Act 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act ("IPRA") on account of lack of transportation from their respective residences or even their inability to pay for transportation from their respective residence to Regional Hearing Offices of the National Commission of Indigenous Peoples ("NCIP"). Moreover, as many of the Regional Hearing Offices are located in cities, they can barely afford to pay for their food while attending to the hearings on their complaints and other legal concerns. Given the above situation, it appears that many of the cases of our ICC/IP brothers and sisters have been dismissed for lack of interest to prosecute. In essence, justice is being denied to them solely on the account of their poverty or inability to attend to the most basic necessities while attending hearings. We note that the NCIP is sufficiently clothed with authority to charge reasonable administrative fees and charges, the funds of which can be diverted or allocated